23 Aug 2011 | Index Index, minipost
Police detained over 100 villagers in Phnom Penh last week for distributing environmental fliers used to raise awareness of deforestation and economic land concessions that have been granted inside the Prey Lang forest. Police and local officials confiscated the activists’ leaflets and detained participants in local commune offices for questioning and “re-education.” Police said the distribution of fliers could “disrupt social order.”
28 Feb 2011 | Index Index, minipost
Two Kurdish journalists have been sentenced to ten months of imprisonment each, after attending a demonstration in 2008. Vedat Yilidiz, Dicle News Agency, and Lokman Dayan, Güneydoğu Ekspres, have been convicted of “spreading propaganda for an illegal organisation”. They were among 25 defendants charged with “membership of an illegal organisation”. Both journalists attended the protests in their professional capacities, they said. The demonstration, at which the journalists were beaten by police, concerned the alleged violence against Abdullah Öcalan, the detained leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
14 Oct 2010 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
A newspaper journalist who photographed a Roman Catholic protest is facing charges of “practising journalism without accreditation“. Flata Kavinga was arrested at the demonstration on 10 October and detained for over 24 hours. His camera was confiscated. Although he has been released, Kavinga’s lawyer said that police are considering charging him under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The controversial legislation, enacted in 2002, has been heavily criticised by media rights groups.
7 Sep 2010 | Index Index, minipost
The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned today that a Florida church’s plans to burn copies of the Quran on 11 September could endanger troops. The Dove World Outreach Center is encouraging its members to engage in an “International Burn a Koran Day” to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. General Petraeus said that the demonstration would jeopardise the safety of soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. He pointed out that rumours of the book-burning sparked protests in Kabul yesterday. Local authorities in Gainesville, Florida have refused to grant the church a permit for the fire, but Pastor Terry Jones says the demonstration will go ahead as planned.
